How MOTOACTV Works

The technology inside the MOTOACTV is cool, but what may be even more interesting is what the device does with all that data it collects. You can select the type of workout you're going to do on a workout menu. Supported workouts include running, walking, cycling and using an elliptical machine. You can also designate whether you'll be exercising outside or indoors. For indoor exercises, a little extra calibration is necessary, because the MOTOACTV won't be able to rely on GPS signals to keep track of how you're doing.

Once you're ready to go, you just wear the MOTOACTV -- or mount it on your bicycle -- and take off. You touch the screen when you're finished. The next time you come into range of your wireless network, the MOTOACTV will send the data through to a personalized profile account that you can access through a Web browser. Motorola's servers crunch the data and send back results in a format that's easy to interpret.

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The type of data saved to your profile will depend upon which, if any, sensors you're wearing in addition to the MOTOACTV. For example, if you're wearing a heart-rate monitor, the MOTOACTV will record how hard your heart was pumping during your workout. You can set a target range for heartbeats per minute as a goal and measure your workout against what you want to achieve.

The MOTOACTV can estimate how many calories you've burned based upon the intensity of your workout and your personal profile. Other collected data may include the distance and pace you traveled as you cycled, walked or ran. If you were outside, GPS coordinates will indicate your route. You can map out your favorite routes and use them for future workouts.

The MOTOACTV even goes so far as to analyze the music you listen to as you work out. Did a particular power ballad from a 1980s hair metal band really get you to pick up the pace? The MOTOACTV will make a note of it. The next time you're hitting the track and you feel your speed falter, the MOTOACTV may well take things into its own virtual hands and blast out that one-hit-wonder to get you back on track.

As you set up your profile, you can choose to engage advanced features. You can tell the MOTOACTV to automatically start a running routine when it detects that you're running outside. You can engage a coaching mode so that a virtual coach gives you tips and encouragement over your headphones as you work out. You can also set up laps on the MOTOACTV and measure lap times as you train for longer distances.